Elio Sonsini, Artist

Colors and Thoughts of the Soul

Saint Francis of 2000

”In the last two years Sonsini’s painting has stressed referential work dense with human and social implication. He shows an introspective depth that has enriched his expressivity not only in the area of his choice of subject matter, but also stylistically. A lively inspiration guides the artist through interior dialogues with his subjects that lead him to craft images that are intense, splendid and meaningful, with an extraordinary imagination, are cloaked in an incisive and communicative symbolism. He infuses them with sincere emotions, sharp reflections, and the diverse feelings that spring forth from his thoughtful analyses of the most pressing topics of contemporary existence; he lucidly reveals the problematic and contradictions of these topics. The world that Sonsini recreates in his paintings isn’t completely bereft of an intrinsic beauty, especially when depicting the natural environment, but, it is dominated by the prevarication and egotism that destroy that positive beauty and erode the important foundations of human mutual dependence. He points out the dangers of basing social relationship on false propositions that nullify important values like solidarity, friendship and generosity. Sonsini creates grand works based on these concepts. One such painting is “Saint Francis of 2000”, reproduced here. It is an extraordinary updating of the figure of a saint who for most of his life was dedicated to the most marginalized. He is represented in the clothing of a youth of today, in the center of an almost surreal scene of contrasting reality, with the tragedy of the hunger of the Third World in the foreground and in the background the anonymous figures of the wealthy Western World. Whether alone or in groups, these people are isolated in their individualism….attached to cell phones, surrounded by soccer balls….A passionate charge emerges from the painting and reverberates with the lively melody of the magnificently composed images and colors which, in this and in his other works, indicate the presence of an artist who continues to convey profound and effective messages through his prodigious expressive force and figuration”